You made a purchase on bidorbuy. You impatiently wait for it to arrive. When it does, you quickly scan the parcel and sign the paper the courier gives you. Then, when the courier leaves, you open the parcel… only to gasp in frustration and disappointment.
There are no two ways about it. You as a buyer should receive the product you purchased, exactly as it was described and pictured in the bidorbuy listing. If it arrived damaged, you are entitled to a refund, repair or replacement.
The problem arises when you discover the damage only after you signed for the parcel and the courier has left. Whether you are aware of this or not, by signing the receipt form you acknowledge that you have received the item in good order. Your signature also means that the ownership of the item and the liability for the item has passed onto you.
It is easy to react in a proper manner when the box looks like a piñata that had been bashed many times over. You will refuse to take ownership of it until you have examined the content carefully and satisfied yourself that the product is in impeccable condition.
Now, this is something you should do even if the box looks fine. Open it and take a look inside. If the item is broken or damaged, do not sign for it and have the courier return it to the seller. If you are collecting from a Post Office, you may have to sign for the parcel before you are allowed to open it. Still, do it. Sign if you have to, but then, right there, in the presence of the Post Office employee, open the parcel and check the content. That way, if anything is wrong with the item, you have an impartial witness.
You then need to contact the seller to resolve the matter and ask for a replacement or a refund. In case you need help, you are welcome to contact bidorbuy customer support at hello@bidorbuy.co.za or 0861 88 0861 and one of our consultants will assist.
Do note that the bidorbuy Buyer Protection Programme does not cover items damaged in transit. This is because the parcel should be insured by the sender and damage should be covered under this. However, damaged items that are not accepted by the buyer will be treated as non-delivery if a claim is filed.
As much as we would love to, we cannot always resolve every issue. There is nothing we at bidorbuy can do if a seller with a good record maintains that he dispatched a well-packed product in good condition, while a buyer (possibly with an equally good record) is adamant that he found a damaged or broken product when he opened the package – after signing for it…
It is very difficult – actually, impossible – to assign responsibility for a damaged item to either the sender or the delivery agent once the parcel has been delivered and signed for, declaring that the item was received in good order. That is why, even though checking the parcel in the presence of the shipping agent will seem like a waste of time, it is still a necessary step.
If you nominate someone to sign for the delivery, it follows that your nominee needs to inspect the content of the parcel.
A great majority of sellers on bidorbuy pack well, and when an item is well packed it will withstand even rough treatment. Still, making sure that all is in order can save you a lot of headaches down the line.
